Mumbai: 2-hour delay in night flight leaves fliers in distress

SpiceJet officials talking to passengers

Passengers of SpiceJet flight SG268, who were scheduled to fly from Mumbai to Bengaluru on February 19, alleged that the flight was delayed for over two hours, causing inconvenience and distress to many onboard, especially senior citizens. The flight, which was supposed to depart at 10.55 pm, finally took off at 1.54 am on February 20, which frustrated passengers. Passengers who were expecting a timely departure were left in discomfort.

"We were kept waiting for hours without any proper explanation from the airline staff. Many senior citizens were among us, and the delay was extremely inconvenient for them," said one of the passengers. The passengers have now resorted to reaching out to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), urging them to take stringent action against SpiceJet for the delay and the lack of consideration for the well-being of passengers.

Another passenger Rajesh R said, "We have now resorted to urging the DGCA to take stringent actions against the airlines as the delay was over two hours. The flight kept delaying and the airlines did not even provide us with snacks or water." "Since it was a night flight there were no major issues but what if it was a day flight and someone had to reach for a court hearing, would the airline take responsibility for the person not reaching the court on time?" He added. A spokesperson from SpiceJet said, "We are investigating the matter. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to the passengers on board Flight SG268 on February 19."

Notification from SpiceJet on February 19

Adv Yashwant Shenoy, an aviation expert and aviation rights activist said, "Passengers are always losers in India. DGCA is controlled by airlines and will never come to the passenger's rescue. The commuter at best can file a lawsuit against the airlines in the consumer court for demanding compensation for their loss of valuable time and the trouble caused to them by the airlines. No passenger would willingly fight a decade-long battle in courts to claim a few thousand which is why airlines tend to exploit their passengers more and more."

While explaining the importance of new rules that should be made to help the passengers, he added, "There are no stringent rules for inconveniences caused to the passenger by an airline. This is why the airlines always exploit the passengers. DGCA needs to come up with more stringent guidelines and make sure that the airlines follow them."

Shirish Deshpande, chairman of Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, said, "The regulatory bodies always stay silent in such cases. It seems they are trying to protect the airlines instead of protecting the rights of the passengers. DGCA is bound to take stringent actions. If no action is taken, the passenger is forced to take the matter to the court of law which is a time-consuming process.

DGCA guidelines

Airlines shall provide facilities if the passenger has checked in on time if the airline expects a delay beyond its scheduled time of departure or a revised time of departure of two hours or more. Passengers shall be offered free of charge the following:
>> Meals and refreshments
>> Hotel accommodation when necessary (including transfers)
>> Airlines shall pay particular attention to the needs of persons with reduced mobility and any other person (s) accompanying them in such conditions